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Clinton News-Record, 1974-12-24, Page 1There will be a happier Christmas this year for 38 under- priviledged families in the Clinton, Vanastra, Londesboro and Blyth areas because of the hard work of the Children's Aid Society's Christmas nelp plan in Cliniton. Using donations from area clubs and organizations, many area women in- eluding Mrs. Florence Corrie, Mrs. Greta Nediger and Mrs. Wynne Homuth, shown holding a family's presents, put together Christmas packages for each family. Many of the presents were later delivered by the Clinton Kinsmen in time for. Christmas. (News-Record phoro) 25 cents' Thursday, December 24; 1974 41111,ANNOWIFIliffalifir#1.111/1111•11.11.01/04, Clinton, Ontario Weather 974 1973 Ht l,9 HI 4.9 DECEMBER 17 14 27 14 18 30 24 11 19 32 25 18 Snow - 3" — Snow 2 11" 109 Year-No 52 4,M1M61 11111•MIIIMMINNOMMINOMMINNIOn 4 2 4 $100 000.study shows Land should be saved for farming are permitted. Other areas are designated industrial with a different set of use restric- tions. Cases of conflict are resolved in favor of the priority !all use and long range goals." Whether or not Huron County farmers are ready for this type of land use planning in rural areas has yet to be determined. There was ,some argument at Thursday's meeting which would indicate that while farmers say they want to protect and preserve agricultural land, they wish to retain the right to make their own decisions about their own property without any planning restrictions to hamper them. ' Reeve Deb Shewfelt called it being "strangled". He was referring in the first place to the feeling of some urban centres that they are being "strangled" from fur- ther growth because of the desire to save prime agriculture land for food production, while in the second place rural - dwellers feel "strangled" because urban develop. ment is encroaching on prime farmland. But while the Countryside Planning report brought before the meeting clearly showed that the fringe areas around the five towns would have some farmland slated kir urban development in.the future, the fear was < soon expressed by some representatives at the meeting that far- mland within that designated fringe area would immediately become more valuable than the same type of farmland outside that fringe area. What are the attitudes of Huron County residents towards the major issues un- derlying the proposed methodology of land use planning? Dr. Hadwen's study team talked to 400 persons all across the county — 80 citizens in urban areas, 80 cottagers, 80 farmers in a recreation-type area, 80 farmers adjacent sto' urban areas, 'and 80 farmers in strictly rural areas. According to Dr. Hadwen the findings county ---- Exeter, Seaforth, Clinton, tions of the urban environment for example showed that in general, the public is infor- Goderich and Wingham — be slated for ur- are designated as residential areas. Within med about the need for land use planning ban development in the years ahead, theie areas the residence has top priority in rural areas, and is "pretty willing to "Our planning is still urban oriented," and only supportive or complementary uses think about it". "The average Huron County citizen is not mired in the past," said Dr. Hadwen. "People here are not resistant ,to change but want it to be consistent with the best of fail th s to change standings "On the whole people of Huron County e past." have pretty common agreement about major issues," Dr. Hadwen told the meeting. "On most issues where planning is concerned, you are not going to find really gross differences amongst and between the people of the county." Dr. Hadwen also alluded to a study he has been doing concerning the attitudes of Huron County citizens toward municipal government here. "They have enormous confidence in municipal government in this area," he told the meeting. He promised to have a more detailed summary of his findings to present to county council early in the new year. The following are the conclusions found by Dr. Hadwen in his study into the at- titudes of Huron residents concerning land use planning: (continued on page 8) Provincial police believe the human skeleton found in bushland just north of Grand Bend last Monday is that of Bar- bara Jean Avery, 17, of Windsor, Who worked at Pinery Provincial Park last sum- mer. OPP Sgt. Norton Rhiness of Exeter detachment said identification of the body was made through checking dental charts, By Jim Fitzgerald Here we are on the last leg of our yearly race towards Christmas, Reports from the North Pole say that Santa is hitching, up the sleigh and will be ready to start his ap- pointed rounds in a few hours. With the Christmas break, the post office will also be observing the Christmas break. Today, Christmas Eve, all mail must be posted by 2;30 p.m. in Order to be dispat- ched from Clinton. There will be no service of any kind on Christmas day 'or Boxing Day, but the street letter boxes will be emp, tied on Boxing Day, The chances of us getting a white Christ, Inks look good at this point, but the weatherman says Christmas Day will be mild and likely rainy, Why can't we have this mildweather next March when we need it and the snow now? tf you haven't already been Wished it a hundred times, a very Merry Christmas from all of us h ere at the stews-'Record and biome, drive carefully. We Want yott all melt next year, Miss Avery, who boarded with Clinton Police Chief Lloyd Westlake at his Bayfield home, failed to return hoine July 28 after spending the previous night in. Grand Bend. Chief Westlake said Wednesday night he suspected "foul play" in her disap- pearance. He described the light brown curly-haired girl as pleasant and quiet. " She read a lot and watched television during much of her spare time," said Chief Westlake. He said he was interviewed Tuesday night by OPP Det. Insp. C.J. Potier about the girl's disappearance, An OPP spokesman at Exeter said Det. Insp. Potier was in Windsor Wednesday night "notifying next,of-kin" and inter- viewing the family, He was not available for comment. Chief Westlake said Miss Avery came BY WILMA OKE Trustees John McCann of Ailsa Craig and Oscar Kieffer of Illnevale, who have served on the Huron-Perth County Roman Catholic, separate school board for the past six years, were honored last Wednesday night prior to their retirement. At a meeting held in Grand 13end, the two trustees who have been on the county board since it was formed in 1969, were each presented 'with a girt. Ted Geoffrey of Zurich. who presented the gift to Mr, Kieffer, said he had done an outstanding job for the board. in reply Mr. Kieffer thanked the board and asked for the same support for his successor, William from a family of eight children. Her parents arrived at the Westlake home to visit the same day she was reported missing. Miss Avery was employed at the park painting buildings under a provincial government summer student program. Chief Westlake said she wore old clothing at work and generally arrived home' with paint stains on her clothes. He didn't see the girl, or know what she was wearing the Saturday afternoon she left for Grand Bend. The skeletal remains, found in bUshland near the intersection of Highways 21 and 83, about a mile north of Grand Bend, have been examined at the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto. Police. said the body had been at the location about 17 miles south of her boar-, Ktuati.m. Donald Crowley, in presenting Mr. 'McCann with his gift said, "There can't he a more honest guy around, he says what he thinks. He has done a good lob for the board." to reply Mr. McCann spoke of' the first year as being a tough one for all the Members with no superintendent, of the progress made, of his year as chairman and wished the board the best in the future. He will. be succeeded by 0-eg Vsleming. Pat Carty of Stratford, who WRS not at the meeting, has served for six years and will he succeeded by ttotra Ed Mercy, Gordon Ball of St, Marys who has served two years will be succeeded by John 0' Drowsky. Ted Geoffrey, cheirnmn of the main' tentuwe sommittee, outlined how $38,000 BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER The comprehensive and sometimes con- troversial UDIRA study (Urban Develop- ment in Rural Areas) continued at Huron County COuncil recently as members from all municipalities as, well as incoming representatives listened to a day-long presentation of Dr. Ted Hadwen's findings after interviewing •a sampling of Huron County citizens its various walks of life, and the initial draft of a report compiled by James F. MacLaren Limited, environ- mental consultants, entitled Countryside Planning. The special meeting held in the basement of the new assessment building is* called to hear and discuss some of the *aerial in the UDIRA study which is costing over $100,000 (with 80 percent of the expenses picked up by the province) and has taken a year and a half to com- plete thus far. Although time for questioning was limited because of the tremendous volume of material to be perused, initial reaction of some county councillors showed disap- pointment that the study had more em- phasis on urban development than on the agricultural base of the county. While MacLaren associates and Dr.' Hadwen argued otherwise, Don Pullen, Huron County Agricultural Representative for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, summed it up by saying that plan- ning'for agriculture consists .of "that which is left over" in the study as presented. "And' apparently that's what society Wants," he stated. Gerry Ginn, incoming reeve of Goderich Township, told the meeting of the need to preserve prime agricultural land. "They're just not making it any more," he told coun- cil ., .14r, Ginn complained about the study's `recommendation that more land surroun- ding the' five major growth areas in the , A judicial recount last Friday in Clinton failed to change the positions in the December 2 municipal elections for Clinton council. After the four hour recount conducted by Huron County Judge Francis Carter was completed, there was still five votes separating seventh place finisher Bill Stauttener and eighth place finisher Helen ding house, for "several months," Police said Miss Avery frequently hitch- hiked to and from work. Miss Avery boarded with the Westlakes only a few weeks before she disappeared, Chief Westlake said she'd been referred to them by a teacher who had boarded with the Westlakes. Chief Westlake said the girl left his home With a young man - but he "only saw him for about two minutes" so couldn't describe him, When Miss Avery failed to return July 28, Chief Westlake said he told the girl's parents that if she didn't show up by the following Tuesday he would telephone them. He said he contacted the parents, as scheduled, the following Tuesday. It was after that the parents reported the girl missing in Windsor. was spe..t at the 10 sssiem in keeping them up to date, such as roof repairs, painting, drainage work. The request by St. Joseph's parish, Strat- ford, was granted to use St, Michael's School far a COR (Christ in Others Retreat) the weekend of April 4, 5 and 5. The police in GOderidl will he alerted- to be on the lookout for children playing on the roof' of St. Mary's School, LeBetsu's Plumbing, was awarded the contract for installing cupboards at St. .Joseph's School in Clinton for $340. The resignation of Mrs. Sharyn Boven, principal's relief at Sacred Heart School its Wingham was accepted, effective December :31, The inaugural meeting WAS set for January 6. Ginn insisted. "I had hoped the UDIRA study would be more rural," It was 'explained to Mt, Ginn that , despite what was common opinion, it was not the ,growth of urban centres which would eventually take the most agricultural land out of production. The problem, according to the 'experts present, could be traced to scattered random urban- like developments throughout the rural areas. This was termed "nibbling away at farmland" and is the type of rural land use the UDIRA study seeks to control. According to Steven Janes, study direc- tor for MacLaren, there has already been some indication from Toronto that broad land use policies are coming from the provincial level. With the UDIRA study in Huron being the pilot project in the province, Mr. Janes has expressed his hope that the "perspec- tive methodology" developed by the study here will be adopted across the entire . province to achieve "a new rationale for rural planning". He has asked county officials and other interested persons to examine the methodology in the study and to forward all objections and suggestions to the study team by February 28, 1975. This report deals with such things as potential planning perspective in Huron County; the agricultural perspective; urban perspectives as they relate to the fringe ' areas; recreation perspective; and the evaluation of existing policies affecting ur- ban development in rural areas. By Mr. Janes' own admission, the document is lengthy and complicated. It will involve some lengthy, intensive study by county councillors anch others. The report itself sets out one main objec- tive: "To resolve conflicts between com- peting land uses in a- rural area recsireV — the setting of land use priorities just like priorities are set for an urban area. Por- etc., for a special Centennial book that may be published in 1975. In order to facilitate the production of' the book, however, those histories must be completed by January 15, 1975, Anyone with more questions should contact Mrs. Doris Batkin as soon as possible. New Y ear's paper to come out on Dec 31 The New Year's edition of the Clinton News-Record will be published on Monday, December 30 and distributed on Tuesday, December 31. As a result of the earlier printing date, the News-Record is .seeking co-operation from its advertisers and correspondents to have their copy in early, All classified and coming events must be in our hands no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, December 27. The final deadline for nest's copy will be Saturday, December 28 at 12 noon. We sincerely hope that our advertisers and correspondents will help us get over the holiday period, Missing girl's skeleton' found; stayed at Chief's Retiring board trustees honored Recount for council Tench. Each had lost three votes in the recount. The recount had been requested by Mrs. Tench after the election showed only five votes separated her from Mr. Stauttener. Mrs. Tench said that if an already elected councillor should step down then the seventh place finisher would be moved up, however, there is no provision for such a move in the Municipal Act. Mrs. Tench, a public accountant in town, had deposited $100 to cover costs of the recount, but no final costs were available at press time. Those members elected to council, and whose votes were not considered in the recount were: Ernest Brown, 1,023 votes; Don Hall, 783; Ruth Roy, 728; Roy' Wheeler, 718; Jim Hunter, 675, and Burt Lobb, 560. • Clinton's 100th birthday officially starts next week, and already preparations are in full swing for the Centennial celebrations. The first of the celebrations starts later this week on Saturday, December 28, with the beard growing contest and any man whether he lives in town or not is eligible for the contest. All he has to have in order to enter is whiskers, Entrants must enter at one of the four barber shops in town and must be clean shaven on December 28, or any day after, depending on when the contest is entered. The beard growing contest will be judged during the Centennial celebrations week, Which gets underway on July 25, There will be at least six, classes that the men may participate in, everything from the, most colorful to the scruffiest. Men may register at the four barbers in town, Frank Chapman's, Frank Van Altena's, Walter Gardiner's or Arnold Other events during the year will be also tied into the Centennial celebrations, in- cluding the Centennial Winter Carnival, the Spring Pair, and a special harness program with a Centennial Pace. A complete calender of events will be published in a future News-Record, The historical committee is currently working on collecting old pictures and ‘..,kistories of all local clubs, groups, churches Centennial celebrations to start this weekend